The set of surnames derived from the root Chiari- / Chiaro- / Chiara- constitutes a wide onomastic family of great diffusion in Italy, with mainly anthroponymic origins, although also with possible toponymic developments.

According to E. De Felice, these surnames can derive from the personal name Chiaro / Chiara / Clara, which continues the Latin cognomen Clarus ("clear, luminous, illustrious"). This name, already documented in the imperial period, became consolidated in the Middle Ages both as an autonomous name and in relation to the cult of Saint Clare of Assisi, a key figure in the diffusion of the feminine name in Europe.

In the same line, F. De Laurentiis notes that the base can be both the personal name and the adjective chiaro ("luminous", "illustrious"), used as a nickname to highlight physical or moral qualities. He also considers the possible influence of place names with the root Chiaro, which opens a toponymic reading in certain cases.

For his part, E. Rossoni indicates that these forms present a wide distribution in regions such as Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, Puglia and Sicily, and that they can derive both from the medieval name Clarus and from place names such as Chiari (Brescia) or Chiarone (Grosseto), thus showing a multiplicity of possible origins.

From another perspective, A. Bongioanni highlights the Latin origin of the name Chiara, associated with the Christian tradition of Saint Clare of Assisi, and notes its medieval expansion, as well as the formation of patronymic variants such as Chiarella or Clarini, with regional developments in Piedmont and Friuli.

In the Sicilian case, V. Blunda proposes an alternative interpretation for some surnames linked to chiara, relating them not to the personal name, but to a dialectal term that means "gravel" or "stony bed of the torrents". In this reading, the surname would have a toponymic or environmental origin, linked to the landscape and to rural life, ruling out the direct connection with the feminine name Clara.

Finally, F. Miranda reaffirms the derivation from the Latin clara, interpreted as "clear" or "splendid", and linked both to physical or moral qualities and to religious devotion.